Pirates give preview of what's new at PNC Park this season
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Pittsburgh Pirates fans will soon be sporting their black and yellow for opening day at PNC Park on Friday.
PNC Park is filled with new features all around the ballpark, from a state-of-the-art scoreboard to fresh food to a faster gameday entry.
In just days, Pirates fans will see the team at PNC Park for the first time this season, but they'll also get a taste of the latest additions from the moment they enter.
President Travis Williams says fans can expect a quick, safe entrance through the new Evolv technology.
"It allows people to walk through as though they're walking through the entry point without any stop or checkpoint in their normal lives," Williams said. "It actually allows people to go through as fast as one person per second."
Williams says the old bag policy is back and 16 by 16 by 8-inch bags are allowed.
He says once fans are inside, they'll notice more changes that address their major concerns.
"We focused a lot, listening to them, making sure we're producing the foods they want, fan favorites at a higher quality and faster speed and we're making sure they get back into their seats as quickly as possible," Williams said.
Williams says the concourse has new kiosks to avoid lines, a self-checkout market, a small merchandise store and enhanced kitchen equipment.
They'll be cooking up everything from chicken tenders to fried pickle curds to cherry funnel fries.
Once fans are in their seats, they'll sit back, relax and enjoy the game with the new scoreboard and sound system.
"Not only is this larger than life, but the crispness and the clarity of the picture is really remarkable and will really enhance the overall game experience for our fans. In addition to that, we brought back the out-of-town scoreboard," Williams said.
Williams believes they hit a home run with these upgrades, and he hopes fans think so too.
"We want our fans to know that when they have concerns, have questions or just want to see improvements, that we heard them. Number two: We understand that ballparks and baseball evolve and the way people digest baseball, the way they like to interact with ballparks," Williams said.
The Pirates take on the Chicago White Sox on Friday for their home opener at 4:12 p.m.